Rafael Devers made his stance clear on Thursday, and by Friday, it was Boston Red Sox owner John Henry’s turn to address the disgruntled slugger. After Devers expressed his refusal to play first base, Henry, team president Sam Kennedy, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow traveled to Kansas City to meet with both Devers and manager Alex Cora.
The Red Sox have a hole at first base after Triston Casas suffered a ruptured knee tendon that ended his season. With Devers recently transitioning from third base to designated hitter this spring, the team approached him about filling in at first base, but Devers declined the offer.
After hitting a home run and driving in two runs during Thursday’s 5-0 win over Texas, Devers told reporters, “They came to me and talked to me about it. I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there. In spring training, they told me to put away my glove and focus solely on DH. Right now, I don’t think it would be appropriate for them to ask me to play another position.”
Devers declined to comment on his meeting with Henry following Friday’s 2-1, 12-inning loss to Kansas City.
The 28-year-old Devers is in the second year of his 10-year, $313.5 million contract. Before the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman in the offseason to upgrade their defense at third base, Devers was a regular at that position. While he was initially hesitant to give up third base, Devers was told that it was no longer an option.
“John spoke directly with Raffy,” Breslow shared before Friday’s game. “He felt it was important, given what happened yesterday, to have an honest conversation about what we value as an organization — which includes being great teammates.”
Breslow didn’t elaborate on the details of the discussion, but confirmed that it was a productive conversation, with the situation still ongoing.
Devers started as DH on Friday, going 1-for-5 with an RBI grounder in the 11th inning.
Breslow emphasized that the decision regarding where Devers plays isn’t solely based on the conversations in Kansas City. “That decision was never going to be made on a couch in an office in Kansas City,” he said.
Cora, too, referred to the talks as a work in progress. “Having everyone here in the same place means a lot, not just for us, but for the players, and for Raffy as well,” the manager said. “I thought it was a good meeting.”
When asked if Devers would begin taking grounders at first base, Cora gave a direct response: “No, that’s not the plan right now. The plan is to keep having conversations.”
The big question now is whether these ongoing discussions will lead to a resolution that Devers can get behind.
